NEET: Madras HC Grants Relief to 3 OBC Students

The High Court of Madras has granted relief to three students who were declared as a general category while appearing for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The HC has directed the authorities to treat these students under OBC category as claimed. These students who belong to OBC category committed a mistake while filling the application form and were not allowed to correct it later.

Justice B Rajendran said that the court gave priority to the future of these students and intended not to take any steps that could spoil their future. He mentioned that when a student commits a mistake and seeks alteration of such mistakes, the court shall grant justice to them as stated in Article 266 of the Indian Constitution. He said that the court should not encourage such doings against the students that deny one of the provisions of the fundamental rights. The students have the right to seek admission into a medical college based on their communal status.

Three separate petitions were filed by Kevin, Sateesh Kumar and Bhargavi who stated that they committed a mistake while appearing for NEET over the category for the community and they were not permitted to correct them as they sought to do so.

These students secured marks which are more than the cut-off marks for OBC category. After hearing the arguments, the court mentioned that the students would not be denied education which is a one-time opportunity in life, for the mistake they have committed while filling the application form. The court issued orders to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to treat these students as per their communal status.